Music is a force to be reckoned with. It holds cross-cultural appeal, breaking past all the socio-economic, political, and even religious boundaries we put up. Music moves past our inhibitions and resonates in our hearts as few things do. Music can subtly (and at times not so subtly) influence our thinking, our perspectives, and our actions. Music surrounds us constantly. It blares through stores as we shop. Its power shines in catchy commercial jingles that persuade us to purchase things we don’t need and we remember long after we turn off the television. It’s a hallmark of our worship services and sells out stadiums at concerts.
Music has also been shown to have numerous beneficial effects on children’s development including their intellectual, social-emotional, and literacy. Naturally, music is a gift and I’ve wanted my kids to enjoy music, specifically by learning how to play the piano since I began homeschooling. When I was growing up piano lessons were inaccessible due, but I’m so excited that this is not the case for my children.
This summer was all about relaxed homeschooling and How to Teach Your Child Piano has been a gem in our daily lineup.
We tried the Read Music Notes in Six Weeks as a part of the larger Teach Your Child Piano Curriculum created by a fellow homeschool mom, Mrs. Karen Cadera. This six-week program introduces provides everything you need to teach your child piano including, short video tutorials for each module, worksheets, exercises, games, and music to help your child become comfortably acquainted with the basics of piano playing and note recognition.
What I Love About This Program
The Teach Your Child Piano Curriculum’s strength lies in harnessing the best aspects of homeschooling—learning alongside your children. When we as parents learn alongside our children, something magical happens. There is less of a top-down, teacher-student dynamic and more of a peer-to-peer relationship that is established between you and your children. We learn from each other and there is an exciting and joy-filled learning experience that results. Teach Your Child Piano facilitates an excitement about learning piano together that was infectious for us this summer. The more activities we did whether it was color-coding the piano keys to help with identifying the notes on the piano or getting on the piano and finding the notes as they were called out, my kids became more and more interested in playing. Daily practice on the piano was not a chore or a checkmark on the list of homeschool activities, but more random and organic. A few times a day, my kids would randomly sit down at the piano and practice. They began to take ownership of their learning and practice independently of me.
A Curriculum That Empowers Parents
Mrs. Cadera provides clear guidance in her weekly video modules of what you should teach and how to approach the lessons. As a homeschool parent with zero sight reading or piano background, I found her instructions clear, concise, and appropriately paced. I could sit down for no more than 10-15 minutes and feel confident that we could tackle the week’s activities based on what I reviewed. I also appreciated the freedom I had to pick and choose what exercises best fit my children’s learning styles and to do activities at our own pace.
A Spark To Flame A Passion For Music
Often, parents jump into expensive piano lessons only to be disappointed when they have to beg their children to practice or their kids don’t enjoy playing as much as they hoped (I’m speaking from experience here). Teach Your Child Piano is an affordable way to introduce your kids to the piano, get them engaged and excited about learning, and be confident that they will thrive with in-person music lessons in the future.
